Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
• 14 ounce veggie broth
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup half and half cream* (leave out for a vegan soup!)
• 1/2 cup water*

*optional

instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender.
2. In a blender, puree the beans until smooth. Pour into a large pot.
3. Puree the sauteed vegetables with the veggie broth. Add to the pot.
4. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
5. Mix in cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.
6. Add water as desired to thin the soup, or leave as is.
7. Garnish with cilantro, cheddar cheese, and/or sour cream as desired to serve.

Easy Sock Bun for Long Hair

prep the sock

1. Get a Sock. Find an old, unmatched sock that you don't wear or don't care to wear anymore.  
   • Ideally you want one close to your hair color but it doesn't need to be.
2. Cut the sock. Use a pair of scissors to cut off the toe (about 1 inch)
3. Roll the sock. Start at the ankle end of the sock and roll until you are left with a donut shape.

Make the Bun

1. Brush out your hair. The end product looks best when the hair is brushed all the way through.
2. Make a ponytail. You can make it as high or low as you want, it just depends where you want the bun to sit.
3. Pull, Tuck, and Roll. Pull the tip of your ponytail through the middle of the sock, and begin tucking and rolling the ends around sock doughnut. Continue rolling all the way down to the base of your ponytail.
   • It may not look good until the very last roll so don't get discouraged!
4. Secure at base as needed.
   • My sock bun stayed in all night w/o any bobby pins or hair spray, just be sure its rolled tight at the end!

For more ideas on how to keep your hair zero waste, see my Zero Waste Hair and DIY Coconut Oil Hair Mask

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cilantro Pasta

This is a super easy dish that I make in the Fall / Winter, when Brussels sprouts are in season! 

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, halved

3-5 Tbsp Olive Oil (more if you want!)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1/2 lbs linguine pasta

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 - 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped *optional, you can replace with parsley, or nothing at all if you don't like cilantro!

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 35 min

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F (450 F if at elevation)
2. Prepare Brussels sprouts by trimming the ends and cutting them in half, if there are loose leaves mixed in, that's totally fine! (they turn into crunchy snacks)
3. Toss the chopped Brussels sprouts in 3-4 Tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  You want the Brussels sprouts to all be thinly coated with oil. 
4. Pour Brussels sprouts onto a baking sheet, you want there to be plenty of room in and around them on the pan
5. Roast Brussels sprouts uncovered for 20-30 min, stirring occasionally, or until edges are brown and crisped
6. While Brussels sprouts are roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook until soft.
7. Mince two cloves of garlic and heat them in a sauce pan on low heat with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil.
8. When pasta is done, drain, and toss in the pan with garlic and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Throw the cilantro in with pasta for about 1 min. 
10. Mix cilantro pasta with crisped Brussels sprouts in a bowl, or serve separately and enjoy!